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Since reaching the semi-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, The Netherlands' women's team has been a perennial contender at major events.

Runners-up at the 2017 European Championships in Azerbaijan and Georgia, they went onto make the 2018 Volleyball Nations League Finals in Chinese city Nanjing, finishing joint fifth, and reached the semi-finals at last year's World Championship in Japan.

The FIVB says excitement for volleyball in Poland has reached "fever-pitch" after the men's national team won its second consecutive World Championship title in 2018 in Italy and Bulgaria.

The women's team will be hoping to emulate their male counterparts' success in just over three years'time when they take to the court as hosts.

Serbia beat Italy to win the FIVB Women's World Championship for the first time in their history in October.

The final went to five sets at Japan's Yokohama Arena, with Serbia eventually prevailing 21-25, 25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12.

The World Championship triumph followed on from a silver medal-winning performance at Rio 2016.

In the bronze medal match, reigning Olympic champions China ended the possibility of an all-European podium when they beat The Netherlands in three sets.

About the author

Daniel Etchells graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a BA honours degree in Media and Sports Journalism in 2010. Before joining insidethegames.biz, Daniel covered football for various national newspapers through the Wardle Whittell Agency and undertook placements writing for the official website of his beloved Manchester United, the Manchester Evening News and BBC Sport.

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Fact of the day

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.

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